To obtain color variation in a passively illuminated display, it has previously been necessary to have two color sources for two or three colors and three color sources for four to seven colors, for example. Each of the separate color sources has required a separate set of liquid crystal display (LCD) switches and associated drive circuits. Thus, this type of color variation for a passively illuminated display is relatively expensive.
Color variation in a passively illuminated display has particular utility in word processing, for example. That is, a misspelled word could be displayed in a first color and a correctly spelled word displayed in a second color, for example. Color variation also will enable the LCD switches to function as a color television screen.